COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democratic presidential contenders celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and his legacy in South Carolina.
The field's major contenders linked arms with each other and civil rights leaders in a crowd of thousands marching to the South Carolina State House for the annual King Day at the Dome rally.
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren put aside their frosty relationship of recent days and shook hands at a church service joined by other rivals, too. South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary is a crucial proving ground for a candidate's mettle with black voters. Former Vice-President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick also spoke.
The King Day at the Dome event has become a notable event for Democratic politicians seeking the party nomination. Every four year, it becomes a nearly mandatory stop for those seeking to win the state's primary. This year, that primary is set for February 29.
Although the event was filled with speeches from presidential candidates, many who showed up at the state capital didn’t describe the event as political but more so being filled with, "A lot of love," says Jillian Gaare. "It’s cool because we’re celebrating MLK more so than the presidential candidates and what they have to say, and it’s nice to hear them infuse all of this love and inspiration into their speeches rather than what they want to do for us or what they think is best."
Peter Duffy, who has been coming to the event for nearly a decade says, "It’s an important event to take part in every year to show solidarity and to show that there’s many different opinions and lots of ways to be a South Carolinian."
Organizers also said they hope the event helped raise awareness about issues facing African-Americans today. An estimated 2,500 people were at the rally according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
You can see the full speeches from all the candidates below:
Sen. Bernie Sanders:
Fmr. Vice-President Joe Biden:
Businessman Tom Steyer:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren:
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar:
Former Gov. Deval Patrick:
Other events in the Midlands:
There was a wreath laying ceremony at the historic marker on the corner of Harden and Greene Streets at 3 p.m followed by the annual celebration at the MLK park and community center at 4 p.m.
Morris College hosted Sumter's first annual MLK legacy concert at the Neal-Jones Auditorium at 6 p.m.